Canada
Canada is the country in which all the present-day portions of Forever Knight episodes are set. It is in the northern half of North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the boundary with the United States of America, which (except for the state of Alaska) lies to the south. Canada is the world's second largest country by total area. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. Government Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. As such, it separates the roles of head of state and head of government. Governor-General The British monarch is also the Canadian monarch, meaning that Queen Elizabeth II has been the head of state of Canada since her ascension to the throne in 1953. However, she only acts as head of state when actually in the country (which is seldom the case). In her absence, the role of head of state is played by the Governor-General. During most of the time that Forever Knight was on the air (1989-1995), the Governor-General of Canada was Ray Hnatyshyn. Prime Minister and Cabinet The Governor-General appoints as Prime Minister the head of the party that holds the confidence of the House of Commons. This normally means the head of the party that won the most seats in the last federal election. The Prime Minister stays in office only as long as he or she retains the support of the House of Commons. If the Government loses a confidence vote, then the Prime Minister must go to the Governor-General, resign, and ask to have Parliament dissolved and a new election called. However, the Prime Minister also has the right to choose to ask the Governor-General to call an election—which could be at any time, but generally when he or she thinks the chances of being re-elected are at their best. The Prime Minister appoints Cabinet Ministers to form the executive branch of the government. During the first season of Forever Knight, the Prime Minister was Brian Mulroney (1984-1993), who was briefly succeeded by Kim Campbell (1993) when he resigned and she became the leader of the party. Mulroney and Campbell were leaders of the Progressive Conservative Party. During the period when the rest of the series was being made, the Prime Minster was Jean Chrétien (1993-2003); he was the leader of the Liberal Party. Houses of Parliament The legislature is bicameral, comprising the House of Commons and the Senate. The 308 people who sit in the House of Commons are called Members of Parliament (MPs). They hold office until Parliament is dissolved, which may be up to five years after the last election, though usually it is no more than four years. Each MP is elected by, and represents, one of the country's electoral districts ("ridings"). Any Canadian citizen over eighteen may vote in the riding where they live. A voter's register is produced and notices are sent out; but people who are qualified yet whose names do not appear on the register are still permitted to vote with identification. The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Seats are assigned on a regional basis. Although the approval of both Houses is necessary for legislation to be passed, the Senate rarely rejects bills passed by House of Commons, though the Senate does occasionally amend bills. Provinces and Territories Canada is a federation, with ten provinces and three territories. From east to west, the provinces are Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia (B.C.). The territories are Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon. It should be noted that, at the time Forever Knight was being made, the Province of Newfoundland had not yet been officially renamed Newfoundland and Labrador. Also, the territory of Nunavut had not yet been officially partitioned from the Northwest Territories. The Canadian provinces are often treated as grouped together in regions. Thus the provinces west of Ontario are considered to be Western Canada ("the West"), while the provinces from Ontario east are considered to be Eastern Canada ("the East"). Alternatively, the eastern provinces may be divided into Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec) and the Atlantic Provinces (the four easternmost). Since Canada is considered to have two founding nations of European settlement, one also needs to consider the subdivision into French Canada (Quebec, and francophone areas of other provinces) and English Canada (the rest). Forever Knight is set in Toronto, which is the capital city of the Province of Ontario. Category:Canada